Intel has a storied history of inventing technology components that completely redefine computing. It started with the invention of the world's first commercial microprocessor more than 40 years ago.

Now we bet that Hyperledger Sawtooth and Intel technology will be a powerful way to advance healthcare smart contracts, which may end up being the most valuable asset in our US $3.2T industry.

It isn't easy to build a blockchain for healthcare, but PokitDok is doing it with building blocks from Intel and a select set of powerful institutions through the DokChain Health Alliance. Enterprise technology journalist,Ron Miller covered some of thatin TechCrunch recently.

This Monday, May 22nd, our CTO, Ted Tanner, will elaborate atConsensus 2017 in New York City. Produced by CoinDesk, this event gathers some of the most important organizations and early movers exploring blockchain.

As a backdrop, here's what we announced earlier this month, to give you a glimpse of what Ted will cover next week:

PokitDok announced that it has selected the Linux Foundation's Hyperledger Sawtooth™, as its premier platform for recordingDokChain healthcare transactions. Hyperledger Sawtooth is an open source blockchain project contributed by Intel which has been utilized for a variety of blockchain applications including financial asset settlement, digital asset exchange, and supply chain traceability.

PokitDok is extending the application of Hyperledger Sawtooth to include healthcare.

Our announcement represents a step forward in the development of blockchain smart contracts that can manage and resolve patient identities, control access to personal health records, automatically adjudicate healthcare claims, and power a complex supply chain for medical environments.

As background, DokChain is PokitDok's implementation of blockchain for healthcare. It is the centerpiece of an alliance among health systems, insurers, technology, supply chain companies, and financial institutions. DokChain is designed to record valid transactions that capture the history and process administrative aspects of an individual's care. PokitDok maintains trading partnerships, connecting with more than 550 health insurers and payers to enable seamless data exchange for identity verification, eligibility checks, claims processing, authorizations, and medical referrals. Data, regardless of where it originates, is maintained and verified across an encrypted, distributed network that utilizes Hyperledger Sawtooth and Intel® Software Guard Extensions (Intel ® SGX).

"Blockchain is fundamental to the next computing cycle and will introduce new dimensions of compute power, speed, and security. In the healthcare sector, protecting patient data is paramount, as is sharply reducing blatant inefficiency, which is why we chose to work with Intel to do business on the blockchain."

Ted Tanner, Jr., Co-founder and CTO, PokitDok

Intel SGX is an Intel technology for application developers like PokitDok, seeking to protect select code and data from disclosure or modification. Intel SGX makes such protections possible through the use of "enclaves" which are protected areas of execution. Within these protected enclaves, Hyperledger Sawtooth's unique consensus mechanism, "Proof of Elapsed Time", uses Intel SGX for an economical leader election process. Hyperledger Sawtooth also offers customizable transaction families, which enable PokitDok to create blockchain solutions tailored to the needs of the healthcare industry.

"Intel SGX can help improve blockchain scalability, security, and privacy. With Hyperledger Sawtooth, PokitDok can utilize Intel SGX and other hardware platform capabilities to enhance and increase protection of their healthcare system."

Jerry Bautista, Vice President New Technology Group and General Manager of Intel's New Business Group

Read the full press releasehere, the gory technical details here and see you Monday in New York and Consensus 2017.

The opinions expressed in this blog are of the authors and not of PokitDok's. The posts on this blog are for information only, and are not intended to substitute for a doctor-patient or other healthcare professional-patient relationship nor do they constitute medical or healthcare advice.